7/22/2010 – In the sixth round, the players came back rested, but the games all went quietly, ending in draws except for one: Mamedyarov's powerful attack against Naiditsch. After a missed opportunity to go down in glory, the unthinkable happened. During the rest day, however, fans were given a chance to obtain autographs from their heroes. Don't miss the report and beautiful photos.

7/22/2010 – "On July 20 I was invited to meet FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov," writes Israeli GM Emil Sutovsky, "in order to discuss the situation with the Candidates Matches 2011. I was given few minutes to submit my proposal, and it was agreed, that I will publish an open letter on this very important matter." Here is Sutovsky's open letter.

7/22/2010 – The Czech Open, an international chess and games festival, is the largest chess open in Europe, with well over 1600 players taking part in the historical Czech town, Pardubice. The event includes a grandmaster tournament, part of the ACP World Series, several opens, and the Under-18 European Youth Chess Teams Championship. See the pictorial overview.

7/21/2010 – The World Champion Vishy Anand is currently in India, in his home town of Chennai. Relaxing with his iPod and iPad – but also talking to journalists and TV reporters. The finance magazine Forbes is carrying one article after another, tech sites are asking him about mathematics and remote astronomy, and the broadsheets are churning out reports and portraits. Samples and excerpts.

7/21/2010 – The second round of Biel showcased the grit and determination of the young players as they refused to accept the cards handed them and continued to press as they may. Some stood fast, while others buckled. In the third round, the fights continued, with Wesley So emerging as clear leader with 2.5/3, followed closely by Tomashevsky and Caruana. Report for rounds two and three.

7/21/2010 – He was one of the most prolific chess composers. His endgame studies were elegant, witty, entertaining, simple and beautiful. Henri Rink's ultimate collection of 1414 endgames was published six days before he died – some 500 of them were without pawns. He was brilliant at using two rooks, and two of his creations are part of today's column by GM Lubomir Kavalek.

7/21/2010 – No famous figure, whether dictator, pope, author, scientist, musician or film star, is safe from having a spurious game of chess attributed to him, and fanciful claims have also been made about world champions. In his discussion of the subject of hoaxes the Editor of Chess Notes includes a bizarre story from the nineteenth century about what was discovered in the brain of a blindfold expert.

7/21/2010 – In the rook ending from the game Wang Yue-Nisipeanu, Black may be a pawn down, but his pieces are simply bursting with activity and are well coordinated. The passed pawn on the queenside is effectively supported by the king, and the rook is cutting the white monarch off on the first rank from the rest of the battle.

With Black to move, can you work out an exemplary winning variation? Should the latter begin with 56...b4 or with 56...Kc3? Compare your analysis with the comments by Karsten Müller for ChessBase Magazine Online.

7/20/2010 – The 2010 Canadian Open Chess Championship ended in an impressive display of steam-roller chess, with English GM Luke McShane taking top prize with 8.0/9. The championship was a great success, complemented by events such as a Chess 960 simul by Shabalov, and a rook ending lecture by Gagunashvili. Read the final illustrated report with photos, quiz, and video.

7/20/2010 – The fifth round finally lived up to the fighting spirit demonstrated by the players until now, with decisive results in all. Kramnik outsmarted his opponent by locking his rook away for good, while Leko's attempts to force a win ended up backfiring, and blowing up in his face. The two leaders Ponomariov and Mamedyarov met, and the leader's mantle traded hands once more. Games and analysis.

7/20/2010 – The 43rd Biel Chess Festival is underway, and this year's invitational event is a tribute to the growing number of junior talents already breaking into the world elite. The list is a veritable who's who of top juniors, all vying to show that they are the ones most deserving of your admiration. Round one brought in a few surprises. See the report and illustrated introduction.

7/20/2010 – IM Anna Zatonskih had been leading the event since round five, but in the last two rounds she conceded two draws, while her main rival IM Irina Krush won both her games to take the title. In the junior section top seed Ray Robson suffered a last-round defeat to make it a three-way tie for first. Armageddon games on Tuesday will decide the winner. Round nine report.